Phil vs Universal Remote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phil
Control your Philips Smart TV with your iPhone or iPad. This virtual remote offers realistic design and access to essential functions like volume, channel, navigation, and playback controls. Requires your device to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV.
- Volume control
- Channel selection
- Navigation pad
- Video playback controls
- Menu and options access
- Power off function
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PhilRemote is a virtual remote control that allows you to control your Philips television. The application works on all TVs equipped with "Smart TV" technology and connected to your (WiFi or Ethernet) network. To use this Philips remote control, your iPhone/iPad must be on the same Wi-fi network as your TV. Detection of your TV will be automatic. With a realistic design, you can use all the functions of the original remote control very easily. We have integrated the most useful commands, the features are listed below: -Change the volume -Change the channel number -Use navigation pad -Video control (Play/Pause/Stop...) -Menu, Options, Info, Tools -Power off If you have any suggestions, feel free to contact us. For any comments or questions write us at the following address: contact@nstx.io DISCLAIMER PhilRemote is neither an official Philips product, nor are we affiliated with the Philips company. SUBSCRIPTION: We offer auto-renewing subscription: - Length: Weekly / Monthly / Yearly - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - You will be able to access the Premium features of the app for the duration of the subscription - Subscription automatically renews for the same price and duration period as the original period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the cost of the chosen package. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's iTunes Account Settings after purchase - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period - You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription setting through your Apple account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Please visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039 for more information on how to proceed. - You may turn off the auto-renewal of your subscription via your Apple Account Settings. However, you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period - Any unused portion of a free-trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. Privacy Policy : https://nstx.io/Phil/Phil_privacy.html Terms of Use : https://nstx.io/Phil/Phil_terms.html
Universal Remote
Transform your phone into a smart TV remote. Easily control volume, channels, power, and more for compatible Samsung and LG smart TVs over your WiFi network. Offers premium features through a subscription.
- Control smart TVs from your phone
- WiFi network connection
- Volume, channel, power control
- Source and smart function control
- Compatible with Samsung and LG TVs
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Ξ Use your Phone to control your Smart TV easily. Ξ Compatible with Samsung, LG, and other Smart TV brands coming soon... "Control your Smart TV directly from your device! " Key Features: - Fully functional free virtual TV Remote control - Connect to your Smart TV on your WiFi Network - Control your TV: volume, source, power, channel, smart... Samsung Compatibility: C Series (2010), D Series (2011), E Series (2012), F Series (2013), H Series (2014), J Series (2015), K Series (2016), Q-M Series(2017), Q-N Series (2018) and R Series (2019). LG Compatibility: All WebOS TV series DISCLAIMER This app is not an official Samsung or LG product. We are not affiliated with the company Samsung or LG. SUBSCRIPTION: We offer auto-renewing subscription: - Length: weekly and yearly - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - You will be able to access the Premium features of the app for the duration of the subscription - Subscription automatically renews for the same price and duration period as the original period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the cost of the chosen package. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's iTunes Account Settings after purchase - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period - You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription setting through your Apple account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Please visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039 for more information on how to proceed. - You may turn off the auto-renewal of your subscription via your Apple Account Settings. However, you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period - Any unused portion of a free-trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://planecubes.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://planecubes.com/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Universal Remote at 4.3 against Phil's 3.1. Universal Remote also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Phil sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Universal Remote sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Universal Remote holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.8K and 13K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 17% and 18% positive.
Phil ships an update every 4 months, Universal Remote every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Phil | Universal Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (9.8K ratings) | 4.3 (13K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 17.0% of reviews | 17.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9.8K | 13K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 157 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | yohan teixeira | Plane Cubes |
Customer experience
Phil
Universal Remote
User reviews
Phil
From 9.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works brilliantly
- 👍 Great alternative with extras
Room to improve
- 🐛 Doesn't work
- 🔋 Constant ads make it unusable
- 💰 Paid version still has ads
- 🤬 Aggressive monetization
Universal Remote
From 13K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Universal remote control
- 💯 Works as advertised
- 🤩 Great app for managing TV
Room to improve
- 💸 Expensive subscription
- 🚫 Doesn't work with some TVs
- 🔍 Requires original remote for setup
- 🤬 Lots of ads
- 🔒 Hard to cancel subscription
Bugs and requests
Phil
Reported bugs
3 issues- Stopped working after TV update
- Crashes on newer iOS devices
- Fails to connect to TV
Requested features
2 requests- No ads option
- Better TV compatibility
Universal Remote
Reported bugs
3 issues- App keeps disconnecting from TV
- Doesn't recognize TV or remote commands
- Crashes or freezes during use
Requested features
3 requests- Add keyboard and mouse support for TV browser
- Improve compatibility with more TV models
- Provide better troubleshooting and support options
In-app purchases
Phil
- Pro mode$4.997 Days
- Premium mode$9.991 Month
- Premium version$19.991 Year
- Remove Ads$19.99
Universal Remote
- Start Free Trial3 Days trial$2.997 Days
- Universal Remote Pro Week3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Universal Remote Pro Year$39.991 Year
- Go Pro Universal Remote TV$9.99
Questions
Is Phil free?
Is Universal Remote free?
Which has better reviews, Phil or Universal Remote?
Do Phil or Universal Remote have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phil or Universal Remote?
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